- Source
- Pausanias. Pausaniae Graeciae descriptio, Volumes 1-3. Spiro, Friedrich, editor. Leipzig: Teubner, 1903.
- Translation
- AI-generated (gemini-3.5-flash) — machine translation; may contain errors
- Languages
- 日本語 · English · 简体中文 · 한국어
- CTS URN
- urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0525.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:9.26.1-9.26.8
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-01
Pausanias describes the plain of Tenerus and the sanctuary of Heracles near the Cabirian grove, details alternate historical explanations of the Sphinx and Oedipus, and moves past Onchestus to Thespiae, where he relates the tale of a dragon-slayer associated with Zeus Saotes.
οὕτω μὲν τὸ ἱερὸν τοῦτό ἐστιν ἐξ ἀρχῆς ἅγιον· τοῦ Καβειρίου δὲ ἐν δεξιᾷ πεδίον ἐστὶν ἐπώνυμον Τηνέρου μάντεως, ὃν Ἀπόλλωνος παῖδα εἶναι καὶ Μελίας νομίζουσι, καὶ Ἡρακλέους ἱερὸν μέγα ἐπίκλησιν Ἱπποδέτου· τούς τε γὰρ Ὀρχομενίους φασὶν ἐς τοῦτο ἀφῖχθαι στρατιᾷ καὶ τὸν Ἡρακλέα νύκτωρ τοὺς ἵππους λαβόντα συνδῆσαί σφισι τοὺς ὑπὸ τοῖς ἅρμασι.
Thus, this sanctuary has been holy from the beginning. To the right of the Cabirian sanctuary is a plain named after the prophet Tenerus, whom they believe to be the son of Apollo and Melia, and a great sanctuary of Heracles surnamed Horse-binder; for they say that the Orchomenians arrived here with an army, and Heracles by night took the horses under their chariots and bound them.
προελθόντων1 δὲ τὸ ὄρος ἐστὶν ὅθεν τὴν Σφίγγα λέγουσιν ὁρμᾶσθαι ἐπʼ ὀλέθρῳ τῶν ἁρπαζομένων αἴνιγμα ᾄδουσαν· οἱ δὲ κατὰ λῃστείαν σὺν δυνάμει ναυτικῇ πλανωμένην φασὶν αὐτὴν ἐς τὴν πρὸς Ἀνθηδόνι σχεῖν θάλασσαν, καταλαβοῦσαν δὲ τὸ ὄρος τοῦτο ἁρπαγαῖς χρῆσθαι, πρὶν ἐξεῖλεν Οἰδίπους αὐτὴν ὑπερβαλόμενος πλήθει στρατιᾶς ἣν ἀφίκετο ἔχων ἐκ Κορίνθου.
For those who go forward, there is the mountain from which they say the Sphinx used to launch her attacks to the destruction of those she snatched away, singing her riddle. But others say that she, wandering with a naval force for piracy, put into the sea near Anthedon, and having occupied this mountain, engaged in plundering, until Oedipus destroyed her by overcoming her with the multitude of the army which he brought with him from Corinth.
λέγεται δὲ καὶ ὡς νόθη Λαΐου θυγάτηρ εἴη, καὶ ὡς τὸν χρησμὸν τὸν Κάδμῳ δοθέντα ἐκ Δελφῶν διδάξειεν αὐτὴν κατὰ εὔνοιαν ὁ Λάιος· ἐπίστασθαι δὲ πλὴν τοὺς βασιλέας οὐδένα ἄλλον τὸ μάντευμα. ὁπότε οὖν τῇ Σφιγγὶ ἀμφισβητήσων τις ἀφίκοιτο τῆς ἀρχῆς—γενέσθαι γὰρ τῷ Λαΐῳ ἐκ παλλακῶν υἱοὺς καὶ τὰ χρησθέντα ἐκ Δελφῶν ἐς Ἐπικάστην μόνην καὶ τοὺς ἐξ ἐκείνης ἔχειν παῖδας—, τὴν οὖν Σφίγγα χρῆσθαι σοφίσμασιν ἐς τοὺς ἀδελφούς, ὡς τὸν Κάδμῳ γενόμενον χρησμὸν εἰδεῖεν ἂν2 Λαΐου γε ὄντες·3
It is also said that she was a bastard daughter of Laius, and that Laius, out of goodwill, taught her the oracle given to Cadmus from Delphi; and that no one else knew the oracle except the kings. Whenever, therefore, anyone came to dispute the sovereignty with the Sphinx—for Laius had sons by concubines, and the oracle from Delphi applied to Epicaste alone and her children to hold the power—the Sphinx then used sophistries against the brothers, saying that if indeed they were of Laius, they would know the oracle given to Cadmus.
οὐκ ἔχοντας δὲ αὐτοὺς ἀποκρίνασθαι θανάτῳ ζημιοῦν, ἅτε οὐ προσηκόντως ἀμφισβητοῦντας γένους τε καὶ ἀρχῆς. Οἰδίπους δὲ ἄρα ἀφίκετο ὑπὸ ὀνείρατος δεδιδαγμένος τὸν χρησμόν.
And since they were not able to answer, she punished them with death, on the ground that they were disputing the birth and sovereignty without proper claim. But Oedipus, it seems, arrived having been taught the oracle by a dream.
ἀπὸ δὲ τοῦ ὄρους τούτου πέντε ἀπέχει καὶ δέκα σταδίους πόλεως ἐρείπια Ὀγχηστοῦ· φασὶ δὲ ἐνταῦθα οἰκῆσαι Ποσειδῶνος παῖδα Ὀγχηστόν. ἐπʼ ἐμοῦ δὲ ναός τε καὶ ἄγαλμα Ποσειδῶνος ἐλείπετο Ὀγχηστίου καὶ τὸ ἄλσος, ὃ δὴ καὶ Ὅμηρος ἐπῄνεσε.
Fifteen stades away from this mountain are the ruins of the city of Onchestus; they say that Onchestus, the son of Poseidon, dwelt here. In my time there remained a temple and statue of Poseidon of Onchestus, and the grove, which indeed Homer also praised.
τραπομένῳ δὲ ἀπὸ τοῦ Καβειρίου τὴν ἐν ἀριστερᾷ καὶ προελθόντι ὡς πεντήκοντα σταδίους Θέσπια ὑπὸ τὸ ὄρος τὸν Ἑλικῶνα ᾤκισται. θυγατέρα δὲ εἶναι Θέσπιαν λέγουσιν Ἀσωποῦ καὶ ἀπὸ ταύτης κληθῆναι τὴν πόλιν, οἱ δὲ Θέσπιόν φασιν ἐξ Ἀθηνῶν ἐλθόντα τὸ ὄνομα τῇ πόλει δοῦναι·
For one turning from the Cabirian sanctuary to the left and going forward about fifty stades, Thespiae is situated under Mount Helicon. They say that Thespia was a daughter of Asopus, and that the city was named after her, but others say that Thespius, coming from Athens, gave his name to the city;
γεγονέναι δὲ ἀπὸ Ἐρεχθέως αὐτόν. Θεσπιεῦσι δὲ ἐν τῇ πόλει Σαώτου Διός ἐστι χαλκοῦν ἄγαλμα· ἐπιλέγουσι δὲ ὡς λυμαινομένου τὴν πόλιν ποτὲ αὐτοῖς δράκοντος προστάξειεν ὁ θεὸς τὸν κλήρῳ τῶν ἐφήβων κατὰ ἔτος ἕκαστον λαχόντα δίδοσθαι τῷ θηρίῳ. τῶν μὲν δὴ διαφθαρέντων μνημονεύειν τὰ ὀνόματα οὔ φασιν· ἐπὶ δὲ Κλεοστράτῳ λαχόντι τὸν ἐραστὴν αὐτοῦ Μενέστρατον λέγουσιν ἐπιτεχνήσασθαι.
and that he was descended from Erechtheus. For the Thespians, there is in the city a bronze statue of Zeus Saotes (the Savior); and they add that when a dragon once ravaged the city for them, the god commanded that one of the youths, chosen by lot each year, should be given to the beast. They say they do not remember the names of those who perished; but when the lot fell on Cleostratus, they say that his lover Menestratus devised a plan.
χαλκοῦν θώρακα ἐποιήσατο ἔχοντα ἐπὶ ἑκάστῃ τῶν φολίδων ἄγκιστρον ἐς τὸ ἄνω νεῦον· τοῦτον τὸν θώρακα ἐνδὺς παρέδωκε τῷ δράκοντι ἑκουσίως αὑτόν, παραδοὺς δὲ ἀπολεῖσθαί τε καὶ αὐτὸς4 ἀπολεῖν ἔμελλε τὸ θηρίον. ἀντὶ τούτου μὲν τῷ Διὶ γέγονεν ἐπίκλησις Σαώτης· τὸ δὲ ἄγαλμα τὸ Διονύσου καὶ αὖθις Τύχης, ἑτέρωθι δὲ Ὑγείας, τὴν δὲ Ἀθηνᾶν τὴν Ἐργάνην καὶ αὐτὴν καὶ Πλοῦτόν οἱ παρεστηκότα ἐποίησε.
He made a bronze breastplate having on each of its scales a hook pointing upwards; having put on this breastplate, he offered himself voluntarily to the dragon, intending that in giving himself up, he would perish but also destroy the beast. In return for this, the surname Saotes was given to Zeus; and the same sculptor made the statue of Dionysus and again of Fortune, and in another place that of Health, and Athena Ergane (the Worker) herself and Plutus (Wealth) standing beside her.
- 9.26.2προελθόντων
A genitive plural participle functioning either as a genitive absolute with an omitted subject or as a genitive of reference equivalent to a dative ('for those advancing'). This is a characteristic idiom of Pausanias when guiding the reader through a geographical route.
- 9.26.3εἰδεῖεν ἂν
The optative with ἄν in an indirect speech clause introduced by ὡς. It represents a potential optative from the direct speech (εἰδεῖτε ἄν, 'you would know') which remains unchanged after the historical tense of the main verb (χρῆσθαι).
- 9.26.3Λαΐου γε ὄντες
A participle functioning as a conditional clause, equivalent to εἰ εἶεν ('if they were indeed [children] of Laius'). The genitive Λαΐου expresses parentage.
- 9.26.8αὐτός
Intensive pronoun in the nominative case used with the infinitives (ἀπολεῖσθαι and ἀπολεῖν) because their logical subject is identical to that of the main finite verb (ἔμελλε). This nominative-with-infinitive construction emphasizes the subject's own active involvement.